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Welfare

How to help young people move well

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), young people should be doing at least an hour of exercise a day. Yet, in 2022, only 20% managed this. Here, we look at how you can help improve these figures.

Coaching
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England Football Learning

2 mins - Feb 26, 2024

Being active is so important. But the WHO's research suggests young people aren't meeting their guidelines. They also state the amount of time spent sitting still is increasing. This isn't great news. 

 

It can be easy to think that because our young people are playing football, they’re moving enough. But have you ever considered what they’re doing outside of training or matchday? They should be moving every day, with additional strength exercises taking place at least three times a week. 

Inactivity is the leading contributor to early death worldwide. It has been linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancers. If you’re inactive you’re at higher risk of obesity, reduced sleep, and poor behaviour. We need to help our young people avoid these consequences by getting them moving more. 

 

When we talk about moving, we consider it across the movement scale: 

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Moving more on the pitch

This is probably what comes to mind when you’re trying to get your players to move more. Maximising on-pitch time at training and on matchdays can have a huge impact on the movement of young people. Try to role model behaviour and show your team that this is something for everyone. 

Here are a few top tips to help players move well at training: 

  • Use The Greater Game resources as arrival or cool-down activities. 
  • Consider position-specific fitness activities. 
  • Support players through injury. 
  • Engage with other coaches on the England Football Community
  • Make training fun, as active as possible, competitive, and engaging. 

On matchdays, make sure you allow equal playing time for everyone and find different ways to keep your subs active. 

Encouraging young people to make one healthier action per week starts with your training sessions and matchdays. Your main influence on them is during this time, so don’t waste it. 


Moving more off the pitch 

It can be more difficult to influence players away from training and matches. But if you want to create behaviour change in your team and get them moving more, then you need to maximise what they’re doing away from football. There are a few ways you can do this. 

Make sure you engage with their parents and carers and tell them about The Greater Game. We have created resources especially for families to use at home. Encourage parents and carers to access these and get involved with the programme. 

To do this you have to build rapport with the families of your players and understand each player’s circumstances. This takes time and effort. You could set up a WhatsApp group for parents and carers (adults only). Or host a parents/carers evening where you can give them background information on health and wellbeing, The Greater Game, and the impact it can have. Remember you’re not alone. You can share ideas with other coaches about how they engage with their family networks or find more ideas here.  

Young people follow the lead of their peers and role models, so make sure you are modelling the behaviours you want to see. Show your players that this is a team effort. Share the changes you are making to encourage them to make their own healthier choices. You could share videos of their favourite England players exhibiting healthy behaviours, too. 

To learn more about The Greater Game and moving better, check out our specially designed learning modules here. 

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